Rau's psychiatric assessment 'took four months'

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Mentally ill woman Cornelia Rau did not receive an official
psychiatric assessment during her first four months in detention, a
Senate committee was told yesterday.

Ms Rau, who was born in Germany but is an Australian resident,
suffers from schizophrenia and claimed to be a German holidaymaker
who had overstayed her visa.

Former federal police chief Mick Palmer will head a closed-door
investigation into Ms Rau's case.

Immigration Department Unauthorised Arrivals and Detention
Division first assistant secretary Steve Davis told the committee
that to the best of his knowledge, the first psychiatric assessment
Ms Rau had received began on August 20.

Ms Rau presented herself to Queensland police in April before
being transferred to a women's prison in Brisbane and later the
Baxter Detention Centre in South Australia.

"She was admitted to the Princess Alexandria Hospital on the
20th of August - she was there for six days," Mr Davis said.

"She was discharged on the 26th of August and the date of the
assessment that we have is the 26th of August."

Mr Davis said he also had a record of a psychiatrist's visit on
August 10 as a precursor to Ms Rau's hospital admission.

However, he did not view that as an assessment.

He said it was unlikely that Queensland Corrections Authorities
had performed an assessment without the knowledge of the
department, although he could not rule it out.